A walk in the park(s)
Running until October 5, 2023, Héritage Montréal’s five new ArchitecTours delve into the park-installation boom that took Montréal by storm in the late 19th century. As a reaction to the city’s vast industrialization, parks were established to provide gathering areas that encouraged physical activity and fresh air for local communities.
These are the latest in Héritage Montréal’s ongoing offer of fascinating walking tours, each guided by volunteers whose passion for history knows no bounds. Their 2-hour walking tours are among the city’s best.
Five green spaces to explore
Jeanne-Mance Park and its surroundings
Located between Mount Royal and the densely populated Plateau neighbourhood, Jeanne-Mance Park is at the crossroads of nature and city. No wonder it’s such a beloved gathering place both for afterwork picnics and frisbee games, or cross-country skiing in the cold months!
Morgan Park and its neighbourhood
Starting at Morgan Boulevard, this tour will walk you through the history of the City Beautiful movement, a progressive social reform movement in urban planning and architecture dating from the 1890s. It looked to create monumental grandeur in cities through the creation of wide boulevards, parks and large-scale public buildings.
Outremont and its parks
Renowned for its many pretty parks, the tawny neighbourhood of Outremont illustrates a philosophy of urban planning focussed on the interweaving of green spaces within the built environment. This tour invites you to discover how this landscape heritage affected the neighbourhood’s urban fabric.
Beaudet Park and Vieux Saint-Laurent
This tour starts at Beaudet Park, in the heart of the original village of Saint-Laurent, and spans out to explore the area’s green spaces. Today they co-exist with institutions, residential areas and the industrial sector for which the neighbourhood is perhaps best known.
Jarry Park and its neighbourhood
At the junction of two neighbourhoods, Parc Extension to the west and Villeray to the east, this large municipal park has evolved to meet citizens’ needs and provides a variety of sports facilities, including cricket pitches and the annual National Bank tennis open. Discover how changing needs have shaped this green space and its surroundings.
Final details
Each of these ArchitecTours departs at 10:30 am in English (and at 10 am and 2 pm in French). Each is a two-hour walking tour, rain or shine!
You must purchase your tickets online here, as no on-site registration is possible. Make sure you pick your language of choice upon registration.
Bonne découverte!
